Parties to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), led by the European Union and echoed by Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, criticized US implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) at a
A report of the June 27th meeting of the WTO government procurement committee pointed to progress in negotiations of WTO members to join the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA). It has been two years since the GPA added new members. This post highlights
In March, the president exercised his authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% tariffs on aluminum imports, based on findings that the imports threatened the national security. The tariffs
On June 26, 2017, the European Commission released its 7th annual Report on Trade and Investment Barriers for 2016. It identified 372 trade barriers in over 50 countries, a 10% increase over 2015. The Report highlights 36 new barriers and the resolution of
The WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) appears poised for expansion in 2017 – for the third straight year. According to the WTO Secretariat’s report of the June meeting of the GPA committee, several accession negotiations are nearing
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) opens new government procurement markets for U.S. goods, services and suppliers in three countries (Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam). All the other TPP parties (Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru
Australia has already undertaken significant procurement reform and commitments that should facilitate its GPA negotiations. On November 14, Australia’s Trade and Investment Minister, Andrew Robb, announced Australia’s commitment to work towards joining